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REPORT: Blackhawks Likely To Sign Veteran Backup Goalie

By
Tony Gianares
-

NHL Free Agency has not even started yet and we are already off to a hot start. The latest from the rumor mills is that the Blackhawks are targetting veteran goalies to help bolster the position. Corey Crawford’s status is still up in the air, as of right now, and there are not many viable options in free agency. The only thing we know for sure is that the Blackhawks desperately need help in that area. One big name has already been linked to the Blackhawks on multiple occasions, Cam Ward.

There have already been roster moves made to allow for the signing of Cam Ward. Earlier today, the Blackhawks traded one of their goaltenders to free up a roster spot and some cap space for Ward.

What Does Cam Ward Have to Offer?

Cam Ward is what most people categorize as a “proven veteran”. He is a 10-year veteran who has played his whole career as a Carolina Hurricane. Ward is also Stanley Cup champion and he won the Conn Smythe award in 2006. Since then, Ward has had a steady, but unspectacular career. Here are Cam Ward’s career numbers.

                                                                                                        Goal                                Scor
Season    Age  Tm  Lg  GP  GS   W   L T/O   GA    SA    SV  SV%  GAA SO   MIN  QS  QS% RBS GA%-   GSAA   GPS    G  A PTS PIM              Awards
2005-06    21 CAR NHL      28  14   8   2   91   773   682 .882 3.68  0               1484  119 -14.68   3.1    0  2   2   0            Smythe-1
2006-07    22 CAR NHL      60  30  21   6  167  1625  1458 .897 2.93  2               3422  108 -13.02   8.5    0  1   1   6             Byng-69
2007-08    23 CAR NHL  69  67  37  25   5  180  1870  1690 .904 2.75  4  3930  35 .522  14  106 -10.12  10.4    0  1   1                       4
2008-09    24 CAR NHL  68  68  39  23   5  160  1901  1741 .916 2.44  6  3928  43 .632  10   92  13.96  12.9    0  1   1   4 AS-7Hart-17Vezina-7
2009-10    25 CAR NHL  47  44  18  23   5  119  1409  1290 .916 2.69  0  2651  25 .568   4   95   6.02   9.2    0  3   3                       0
2010-11    26 CAR NHL  74  73  37  26  10  184  2375  2191 .923 2.56  4  4318  43 .589   8   89  22.90  16.8    0  1   1   0 AS-8Byng-48Vezina-7
2011-12    27 CAR NHL  68  68  30  23  13  182  2143  1961 .915 2.74  5  3988  38 .559  10   98   3.29  13.4    1  0   1                       4
2012-13    28 CAR NHL  17  16   9   6   1   44   477   433 .908 2.84  0   929   8 .500   3  105  -1.99   2.7    0  0   0                       0
2013-14    29 CAR NHL  30  28  10  12   6   84   824   740 .898 3.06  0  1645  11 .393   6  118 -13.00   3.4    0  1   1                       2
2014-15    30 CAR NHL  51  50  22  24   5  121  1351  1230 .910 2.40  1  3026  26 .520   7  105  -5.69   7.4    0  0   0                       4
2015-16    31 CAR NHL  52  51  23  17  10  122  1343  1221 .909 2.41  1  3038  23 .451   7  107  -7.65   7.0    0  0   0                       0
2016-17    32 CAR NHL  61  61  26  22  12  162  1711  1549 .905 2.69  2  3618  30 .492   9  109 -13.93   8.5    0  1   1                       6
2017-18    33 CAR NHL  43  42  23  14   4  112  1187  1075 .906 2.73  2  2459  21 .500  10  108  -7.82   5.8    0  0   0                      14
Career            NHL 668 568 318 244  84 1728 18989 17261 .909 2.70 27 38436 303 .533              88 109.1    1 11  12                      44

Provided by Hockey-Reference.com

Cam Ward is now 34 years old and nearing the end of his career. He is past his prime and will be initially signed as a backup. Ward should be seen as a safety net in case Corey Crawford goes down with another injury or is unable to play. Albeit, a safety net with multiple rips in it. He may have another year left in the tank, but do not expect too much more.

Furthermore, all I can envision is Marty Turco 2.0 when it comes to a Cam Ward signing. It truly pains me to bring up those suppressed memories.

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Turco was also 34 years old when the Blackhawks signed him in 2010. Here’s to hoping Ward does not fall victim to the same fate as Turco for the sake of Blackhawks’ fans’ sanity. If Ward is forced into a starting role due to Corey Crawford not being healthy enough to play next season, it could get ugly in a hurry. Also, if this signing backfires, StanBo and Coach Q will have earned themselves a one-way ticket out of town.

I really hope Ward can prove me and the rest of the fanbase wrong. A third failed season in a row would just about close the window on what may be the last shot at a Stanley Cup with the current core of players.

Well, you might not like it, but it looks like Cam Ward to Chicago is a done deal. In the meantime, keep your fingers crossed and pray like hell for a healthy Crawford.

VIDEO: Justin Turner Gets Mad At Willson Contreras

By
Aldo Soto
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So before Kyle Hendricks quickly gave up the lead that Willson Contreras gave him with a two-run homer in the top of the first, Justin Turner of the Los Angeles Dodgers had one of the softest reactions of the baseball season.

A sharp ground ball was hit to David Bote, as the Dodgers had runners at first and third. The Cubs’ rookie made a great play, throwing out Turner at home. Contreras put down the tag, but for some reason Turner wasn’t happy and confronted the Cubs’ catcher.

From the start, Contreras apologized, although all he did was put down a tag, but he knew that no one likes getting hit in the face. But Turner wouldn’t let it go.

No clue what Turner could possibly be mad about. I mean, where else was Contreras supposed to tag him. It’s not his fault that Turner slid late and his face was the first thing Contreras could tag.

Justin Turner, chill out dude.

Why the Allen Robinson “Regression” of 2016 Wasn’t His Fault

By
Erik Lambert
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bears offensive arsenal

Allen Robinson has his share of critics these days. Most view him as a one-year wonder to this point in his career. A talented receiver who dominated in 2015 (1,400 yards and 14 touchdowns) before falling back to earth in 2016 and then tearing his ACL last year. Some think his great season was a fluke and the following one was closer to who he truly is. Robinson was a #2 masking himself as a #1.

Is this true? Was the regression in ’16 inevitable? Most point to a key stat from that season. He was thrown the exact same number of passes as the year before (151) but caught seven fewer of them for just 883 yards and six touchdowns. It’s clear Robinson just struggled to catch the ball, right?

Well, not necessarily. I dug a little deeper in that season for the Jaguars to see if there was an alternate explanation. One happened to surface thanks to a stat from Sportingcharts.com. It detailed something called bad pass percentage.

“Quarterback Bad Pass Percentage measures the percentage of a quarterbacks pass attempts that were considered to be poorly thrown (otherwise known as un-catchable) and leads to an incompleted pass.”

Upon reviewing the numbers, a revelation came to light. One that exonerates Robinson of his down year in 2016.

Allen Robinson suffered from “Bortles Syndrome” that year

The source of the problem may, in fact, have not been Robinson but his quarterback instead. Blake Bortles had a terrific year in 2015 but floundered in every way the next season. A key part of why centers on his passing accuracy. According to the numbers, 104 of the 625 passes threw were uncatchable. A percentage of 16.64. That was a significant spike from the previous year when it stood at 15.51%.

Robinson was clearly frustrated with Bortles throughout 2016 and it’s becoming clear why. His passes weren’t giving the receiver as much of a chance to make plays. Before people condemn the numbers, here’s an interesting comparison.

Aaron Rodgers threw a staggering 111 bad passes in 2015 for a 19.41% rate. He was 30th in the NFL and finished with just 3,821 yards, 31 touchdowns, and 8 interceptions. The next season that number dropped to 15.90%. His final numbers were 4,428 yards, 40 touchdowns, and 7 interceptions. So there is a clear, tangible difference when he was more precise with his throws.

This not only proves Bortles was much more off in 2016, it helps to reinforce the confidence the Bears had in signing Robinson. He wasn’t the problem that year. Give him a quarterback that can put the football where it needs to be and the odds favor him being that dominant force he was three years ago.

Anthony Miller Annoyed His Older Teammates at First College Practice

By
Erik Lambert
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anthony miller

The Chicago Bears caught a lot of people by surprise when they traded up from the fourth round all the way to the second in the draft back in April. Their target? Memphis wide receiver Anthony Miller. It was by far the largest leap in terms of pick position GM Ryan Pace had ever made in his tenure, and cost the team a future second round pick to pull off.

So it was clear that both he and his front office felt strongly about Miller in terms of his talent and his character. There was even a rumor that some executives in other war rooms groaned when the Bears made that move. So clearly, if true there was a consensus that the team had gotten themselves a potentially good one.

For the first time, fans were given an up-close look at exactly who Miller is in the Bears’ web series, Meet The Rookies. They found out one thing above all else. This guy loves to work. So much so that some people were a little annoyed by him when he first got to Memphis back in 2014.

Anthony Miller pulled a classic “Rudy” by practicing too hard

Any self-respecting football fan has seen the 1993 classic movie Rudy starring Sean Astin. In it, his character Dan Ruettiger had a dream of playing football at Notre Dame. Unfortunately, his size immediately put him at a disadvantage. So he had to first get into the college and then somehow make the team as a walk-on.

This required a relentless, almost combative work ethic that drew the anger of older teammates who felt he was making them look bad during practice. It seems Miller can relate to Ruettiger. He encountered something similar as a walk-on himself at Memphis.

“I can vaguely remember my first practice but I just know I went hard every single day, and you know. All the juniors and seniors, they were like, ‘Man, slow down. It’s just practice.’ I was like, man no. First of all, I’m not on scholarship so you can’t tell me to slow down. I’m trying to get it just like you. Some of them already had it. But at the end of the day, that’s just how I practice anyway.”

It’s likely that the teammates who told Miller that were the ones trying to skate by on less effort. They were in it for the free education and not doing everything in their power to be the best. Miller clearly doesn’t compute with something like that. His mother instilled in him from an early age to never let somebody else outwork him.

The results speak for themselves. Miller went from walk-on to second round draft pick in four years. Many more talented players have accomplished less in their football careers and this kid is far from finished. His desire is to be the best ever to play the game. While that may not be possible, it will be loads of fun watching him try.

Wendell Carter Jr. Snaps Back At Dick Vitale Over Mom’s Comments

By
Aldo Soto
-

All right, earlier we shared Vincent Goodwill’s article about Wendell Carter Jr. and the main take away was the comments made by the Bulls’ rookie’s mom toward coach K at Duke. 

Basically it boiled down to the Carters feeling that coach K kept the fact that Marvin Bagley III was going to reclassify and sign with the Duke in 2017, a year after Carter had committed to the school. Pretty much they were mad that Carter was promised to be the guy at Duke and then he had to take a back seat to Bagley.

You can read all about it here.

Wendell Carter Jr.’s Mom Still Seems Pissed Off At Coach K

However, we have a twist to the story.

So, after the quotes were shared everywhere, there was a lot of criticism hurled at Carter and his mom for complaining about his time at Duke and feeling betrayed by coach K. One of the people who spoke out against Wendell and his mom was Dick Vitale.

That struck a nerve with Carter, who responded to Vitale.

In the replies, Carter claims that his mom, Kylia, was misquoted in the story.

Not really sure about that one, Wendell. I mean, all the quotes were taken out of context, or they were all made up? That seems hard to imagine, as Goodwill provided lots of in depth information in his article that didn’t just focus on what Carter’s mom had to say.

Here’s just one of the quotes from Kylia.

“My initial reaction, I was pissed,”

“And it wasn’t pissed because Marvin was coming. To be honest, I felt like that was information that was kept from us. It felt (shady), it felt like my baby was gonna get kicked to the curb. I felt like all of that.”

Again, you can read the whole story here.

REPORT: Former Cubs Pitching Coach Chris Bosio Fired By Tigers For Saying Racist Shit

By
Aldo Soto
-

The Detroit Tigers fired pitching coach Chris Bosio on Wednesday and it came out of nowhere. At first nothing was coming out on the specific reason that the former Cubs coach was let go, other than this vague statement by the Tigers.

There was a lot of speculation whether whatever the comment made by Bosio was racist and according to the ABC station in Detroit, the comments made by the coach were indeed racist.

Via WXYZ.

Bosio used racially charged language towards a team employee, WXYZ has learned.

Bosio was hired by the Tigers prior to the 2018 season after the Cubs decided to move forward without him, replacing Bosio with Jim Hickey following the 2017 season.

Wendell Carter Jr.’s Mom Still Seems Pissed Off At Coach K

By
Aldo Soto
-

OK, so we have some interesting comments coming from Wendell Carter Jr.’s mom. The full story written by NBC Sports Chicago’s Vincent Goodwill focuses on Carter’s journey to becoming the seventh overall pick in this year’s NBA draft selected by the Chicago Bulls. Yet, the biggest headline was from what Carter’s mom, Kylia, said about his time in Duke and her feelings about coach K.

First, the background.

Carter committed to Duke in 2016, and he was supposed to be the star of the team as a freshman for the 2017-18 season. That was until Marvin Bagley III reclassified and also committed to Duke in 2017. All of a sudden, Bagley took center stage and Carter was no longer going to be the focal point of Duke.

That hurt Carter’s draft stock because he obviously wasn’t the best player on one of the most recognizable teams in the country, but again not too much because he was still a top-10 pick. Regardless, Kylia still seems pretty pissed off at coach K for not letting the Carters know about Bagley’s plan before Wendell Carter Jr. signed on with Duke.

Via NBC Sports Chicago.

“My initial reaction, I was pissed,”

“And it wasn’t pissed because Marvin was coming. To be honest, I felt like that was information that was kept from us. It felt (shady), it felt like my baby was gonna get kicked to the curb. I felt like all of that.”

And she has not let it go and it doesn’t sound like she’ll let it go anytime soon because Kylia plans to have a little chat with coach K the next time she sees him.

As for the blessing in disguise, Kylia Carter has yet to give Krzyzewski her true feelings from promises that weren’t kept. But it’s coming.

“We have not had our conversation but we will. We almost went there with him when we did our exit interview,” Kylia Carter said. “But he’ll come around to a Bulls game and I’ll get the chance.”

Wendell Carter Jr.’s father said the following.

“I tell people ‘people make promises they can’t keep.’ It didn’t bother me,” Wendell Sr. said. “I was concerned because I felt like we were lied to. ‘Oh, Wendell’s gonna be the man’ and then the rug was pulled from under us.”

Here’s the thing, as much as I hate Duke and coach K, can anyone really fault him for trying to get the best players available to come play for him at Duke? He’s trying to win and let’s not act as if college athletics aren’t anything but shady. This is one of the least shadiest things that happen in the NCAA.

As far as Carter and the Bulls goes, hopefully this is used as motivation.

Bears Roster Gets Ranked Higher Than Multiple Playoff Contenders

By
Erik Lambert
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chicago bears roster

The Chicago Bears roster is a bit of a mystery. Such is the reality when a team goes through an extensive overhaul as they’ve done over the past few months. GM Ryan Pace and new head coach Matt Nagy had a vision in mind and they seem to have executed it the way they wanted. Most experts tend to agree that between free agency and the draft, this team has significantly improved.

The question is how much does that matter when in comparison to the rest of the league? The Bears weren’t the only team that likely got better over the past few months. Some of them were teams that already made deep playoff runs. So it likely would’ve taken a drastic uptick in talent for them to close that gap.

Pro Football Focus collaborated with ESPN in determining the overall strength of the projected starting rosters of every team in the NFL going into the 2018 season. Then they placed them in a ranking of 1-32. It’s no surprise that the Philadelphia Eagles were #1 and the Cleveland Browns were #32.

What might be surprising is all that happened in between, including with the Bears.

Chicago Bears roster ranked 22nd in the NFL

According to the grading system, PFF is known for, the entire Bears roster draws a ranking of 22nd overall this year. That may not sit well with a lot of fans. Just more disrespect. Except in truth it’s actually pretty fair given much of the depth chart is unproven and the Bears haven’t had a winning season in five years.

“Biggest strength: Akiem Hicks has been a force on the Bears’ defensive front since arriving in Chicago in 2016. While his 49 total quarterback pressures in 2017 fell just one short of matching his career mark set the prior season, his play against the run was even better. His 37 run stops led all 3-4 defensive ends, and his run-stop percentage of 10.7 ranked sixth.

Biggest weakness: With free-agent pickup Trey Burton expected to factor in more heavily in the passing game, the Bears will lean on Dion Sims for blocking. Unfortunately for Chicago, Sims struggled throughout 2017, ranking 62nd out of 69 qualifying tight ends with a grade of just 38.4 on run blocks.”

The interesting part about this isn’t so much the ranking itself. It’s who the Bears have actually placed ahead of. Among the teams who found themselves in lower spots including the Denver Broncos (25th), Tampa Bay Buccaneers (27th) and Houston Texans (31st). These are teams picked by a number of people to contend for the playoffs this season.

The Texans are even a dark horse pick to reach the Super Bowl. For the Bears to be rated ahead of them despite guys like DeAndre Hopkins, J.J. Watt, Jadeveon Clowney and Deshaun Watson on the roster is quite the eye-opener. It certainly puts the coming season in greater perspective.

A’Ja Wilson: Ace Of The Aces And Queen Of Sin City Hoops

By
Rachael Turner
-

In its inaugural season, the city’s third major league sports team is off to a slow start. The Las Vegas Aces are the first major women’s professional sports team to call Sin City home but, unfortunately, the team’s struggled out of the gate. Despite the early struggles, Vegas does have one player making a huge impact on the new Aces team: rookie sensation A’Ja Wilson. 

With the Golden Knight’s Realm casting a huge shadow, fans had high hopes for the Aces to have a successful season. Despite the sluggish start, it is safe to say the team’s No. 1 draft pick was not wasted last year.

Things may be on the up and up though. The youthful Aces have won four of their last seven, and are just two wins away from matching last year’s win total before the team relocated from San Antonio to Vegas. The team is young, as nine of their 13 players have no more than three years of experience in the league. Needless the say, this is a building project from the ground up.

“I’m blessed to be able to grow with them,” she told The Post and Courier. “We’re at a place where we can write our own book and tell our own story.”

Wilson is a near-lock for an All-Star nomination. At the beginning of 2018, she was still known as the four-time All-American forward playing for South Carolina. Now, she is one of the leading scorers in the WNBA. Averaging around 20 points per game, Wilson is the leading scorer for the Aces and is a major factor in this team’s recent success.

Towering at 6-foot-4 (which is tall for the WNBA), she can get the ball up the court and into the basket, no matter how much coverage is supplied. Although she hasn’t had any three-point attempts this season, there hasn’t been an issue with her leading her team to the few victories that the Aces have. On June 12 at Indiana, she scored a career high of 35 points in the 40 minutes she played.

Wilson has garnered plenty of national attention this season. ESPN has gone as far as placing her in the top rookies in WNBA history. Her current pace as a rookie has some even wondering if this is the start of a “GOAT” campaign, with Wilson being named as South Carolina’s “Greatest Athlete of All Time” this past spring. Recently, the gifted rookie was even nominated for an ESPY award.

With their record now sitting at 5-10, the team is 6.5 games out of first place in the Western division but just 3.5 games back of a playoff spot. The Aces will play four straight home games in the next week so it is the perfect time to go cheer on the new ESPY nominee A’ja Wilson and the rest of the Aces. 

Vegas has a franchise player, something even the Golden Knights can attest is a vital part of team identity. Wilson is the oasis in this desert town and it’s only a matter of time before the city sees her for the rare talent she is. The tickets are cheaper than the Strip parking. It’s a great way to see a professional team for a small chunk of change. With Wilson at the helm for the only major league sports team in town right now, the Aces’ games at the Mandalay Bay Events Center should be raining buckets!

White Sox 1993 Team Reunion Celebration Has Star-Studded Cast

By
Matt Enuco
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1993 commemorative A.L. West Division championship pennant.

The White Sox welcome back a cadre of special alumni on July 14 at 1:10 p.m. for the 1993 pennant-winning team. The first 20,000 fans will receive a replica of the A.L. West Division pennant courtesy of NBC Sports Chicago. But if you go for the pennant, make sure you stay for the alumni presence. 

1993 commemorative A.L. West Division championship pennant.

The alumni presence will be strong and after a ceremony to honor the team at the beginning of the game, alumni will be available for autographs around the ballpark.

To celebrate the 25th anniversary of A.L. West Division champs the Sox invite back 22 players from that team. Ozzie Guillen, Bo Jackson, Tim Raines and Frank Thomas headline the alumni contingent. Jack “Black Jack” McDowell rounds out a prodigious roster of venerable White Sox players that will be on hand to take in a ballgame.

Other players attending include pitchers Wilson Alvarez, Jason bere, Chuck Cary, Brian Drahman, Barry Jones and Donn Pall; catcher Matt Merullo; infielder Craig Grebeck; outfielders Mike Huff, Lance Johnson, Warren Newson and DanPasqua; and 1993 manager Gene Lamont accompanied by other members of the coaching staff, Terry Bevington, Walt, Hriniak, Doug Mansolino and Dewey Robinson. Alumni will be available on Saturday and Sunday for autographs.

The Kansas City Royals will be in town that weekend and there is a fireworks display scheduled for Friday evening.

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